So, I saw a thread on WUS, and I thought it would be more interesting to hear from you guys over here. Have there been any watches that you have made a "180" degree turn on? Since being engaged in this hobby, I can safely say that I have had far more changes of opinion than I would have expected. The watches I liked when I first started this hobby I either dislike or am ambivalent towards, and certain watches that I was originally ambivalent towards I now own.

For one, the Speedmaster. At first I did not really care for it, then I became intrigued by it, then I came to own it, and now it is likely my favorite watch I own.

What is it about this hobby that causes these changes? With shoes / clothing, my *tastes* have not changed that much. I have wavered between liking a chiseled toe and a rounded toe. I have found that I like a fuller cut rather than a tighter cut in relation to the fit of my pants and jacket. But I have not switched from SW&D to MC, etc.

On the other hand... I feel that in many ways my preferences with regard to watches has completely changed.

For example, the first time I saw the Nautilus / Royal Oak, I thought they were hideous. Now, I seriously think they will be my next watch. My girlfriend the other day was looking at the 5711 and 15202 with me, and she was thoroughly confused. Like legitimately did not understand the appeal. Is it because of over-exposure that I have grown to love these two Genta designs? Is it because I know the provenance? Or is it because they just look so unbelievably good on the wrist?

Great question. I once used to say, with much conviction, that I would never, ever buy a Patek sports watch. I thought the Nautilus looked strange, and was as "un-Patek" as could be, given my perceptions of the brand at the time and the Nautilus's unique history.

Then I saw it on the wrist of Rudi Albers at Wempe - and he had me put it on my wrist. And he sold me that very same watch about a week later.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plk7

this is my first post on the forum besides an introduction post. i look forward to going through this thread - there are some really spectacular watches here. i'd like to share some photos of my watch, a nomos tangente sport index:

Welcome and thanks for sharing!

Quote:

Originally Posted by wurger

Nuke, I think we all get influenced some what by the information on various forums, better informed and more likely to buy stuff.

Not going to deny this. And when I first came out of lurking in TWAT one of the first things I said was how the information and discussions here certainly helped shape my own tastes and wants.

So, I saw a thread on WUS, and I thought it would be more interesting to hear from you guys over here. Have there been any watches that you have made a "180" degree turn on? Since being engaged in this hobby, I can safely say that I have had far more changes of opinion than I would have expected. The watches I liked when I first started this hobby I either dislike or am ambivalent towards, and certain watches that I was originally ambivalent towards I now own.

For one, the Speedmaster. At first I did not really care for it, then I became intrigued by it, then I came to own it, and now it is likely my favorite watch I own.

What is it about this hobby that causes these changes? With shoes / clothing, my *tastes* have not changed that much. I have wavered between liking a chiseled toe and a rounded toe. I have found that I like a fuller cut rather than a tighter cut in relation to the fit of my pants and jacket. But I have not switched from SW&D to MC, etc.

On the other hand... I feel that in many ways my preferences with regard to watches has completely changed.

For example, the first time I saw the Nautilus / Royal Oak, I thought they were hideous. Now, I seriously think they will be my next watch. My girlfriend the other day was looking at the 5711 and 15202 with me, and she was thoroughly confused. Like legitimately did not understand the appeal. Is it because of over-exposure that I have grown to love these two Genta designs? Is it because I know the provenance? Or is it because they just look so unbelievably good on the wrist?

This - great question. Probably meant in a rhetoric way, but worth pondering.

This - great question. Probably meant in a rhetoric way, but worth pondering.

Meant in both a rhetorical and literal way. I of course love to hear various opinions.

Frills--that is really quite humorous. The Nautilus really is about as un-Patek as a Patek can get. But at the same time, it is just as illustrious as many of its other models, with its own very important history.

On a somewhat tangential note--I used to hate Officer lugs, but have recently developed a bit of a man crush on them.

this is my first post on the forum besides an introduction post. i look forward to going through this thread - there are some really spectacular watches here. i'd like to share some photos of my watch, a nomos tangente sport index:

Love the look of that watch, but I'm confused - isn't that the Orion "Anthrazit"?

i love all the heritage and history of our beloved and storied brands. sadly, imo, most of that went out the window after they have almost all been bought and sold quite a few times, and most fall under the umbrella of one of a few luxury brand corporate conglomerates. not to mention the ones that lay dormant for decades, and we revived in the recent past. most such brands lay a thin claim to any of their old history.

there are few and far between that are independently owned, and even fewer that actually are in the hands of the family who founded the brand. AP might be the only one, and that is barely so, with only a portion of ownership belonging to a direct descendant. feel free to correct me if im wrong, and even if i am, my general statement holds true, thats a fact.

dont get me wrong, i think what the conglomerates and revivers have done is in many ways great, and it probably saved a lot of these brands from disappearing into oblivion forever. and the cash infusions brought the technology and quality control and finishing to levels unheralded. nonetheless, the history and heritage loses most of that fuzzy feeling evocation for me. its a great story, sure. and im sure the present owners have all kinds of stuff in vaults from the early days, from which to draw inspiration, but its mostly just that. inspiration and a nice story. we are not talking about a company whos owners have very much real connection to the past, if any at all, outside of business and a love for watches.

to me, most of that stuff is not much more than an interesting historical read on a topic i find interesting. i place far more weight on beauty/aesthetics, craftsmanship, quality and quality control when it comes to my actual purchases. "heritage" is mostly a fun side note and a self congratulatory pat on the back. which i heartily administer.

I can understand the appeal of history and heritage for watches. But it is important to understand the true histories of the respective brands, and not be swayed by marketing. In the watch industry, brands frequently use heritage as an excuse to deliver less substance. All the great names are guilty of this.

Think about new brands like Lange or Moser. They are both brands that have been brought back to life by businessmen and sustained by conglomerates, with little relation to their pre-war past apart from having a descendant of the founder on the Board. Would they be regarded any less were they to have a completely new name, with no history. After all, what distinguishes Lange and Moser is their quality above all, and innovation.

Consider Breguet, which has dubious relation to Alex-Louis. Does the 1735 on the dial make a difference, or is it a turn-off (considering VC markets itself as the oldest, even though it was established in 1755).

Modern time-only movements from Patek and VC are really a step down from their pinnacle in the 50s and 60s - the VC 1001 and Patek 23-300 compared to the modern VC 4400 and Patek 215 PS, for example.

Great names have gone through ups and downs over the decades - Patek nearly went bankrupt in 1932, VC had many financial troubles and rubbish quality in the 1970s, and AP would have gone bust if not for the RO.

In fact many a time it is the niche indies like the AHCI members that provide the best quality and finishing, simply because they have nothing else to ride upon.

So I think history and heirtage is nice, but only as a cherry on top. It should not play a definitive part in the decision to purchase a watch.

Think about new brands like Lange or Moser. They are both brands that have been brought back to life by businessmen and sustained by conglomerates, with little relation to their pre-war past apart from having a descendant of the founder on the Board. Would they be regarded any less were they to have a completely new name, with no history. After all, what distinguishes Lange and Moser is their quality above all, and innovation.

Good point. Regrettably, I think that for many, Lange and Moser would hold little appeal absent the (somewhat tenuous) historical link between past and present product - even though the present products very much stand on their own merits.

After being on this thread specifically I've come to appreciate the "Genta" styled watches a little more, specifically the RO

Same for Rolex in general. I wouldn't say I've done a 180, but the pointer is definitely moving.. maybe 90 degree-ish?

R

Quote:

Originally Posted by Newcomer

So, I saw a thread on WUS, and I thought it would be more interesting to hear from you guys over here. Have there been any watches that you have made a "180" degree turn on? Since being engaged in this hobby, I can safely say that I have had far more changes of opinion than I would have expected. The watches I liked when I first started this hobby I either dislike or am ambivalent towards, and certain watches that I was originally ambivalent towards I now own.

For one, the Speedmaster. At first I did not really care for it, then I became intrigued by it, then I came to own it, and now it is likely my favorite watch I own.

What is it about this hobby that causes these changes? With shoes / clothing, my *tastes* have not changed that much. I have wavered between liking a chiseled toe and a rounded toe. I have found that I like a fuller cut rather than a tighter cut in relation to the fit of my pants and jacket. But I have not switched from SW&D to MC, etc.

On the other hand... I feel that in many ways my preferences with regard to watches has completely changed.

For example, the first time I saw the Nautilus / Royal Oak, I thought they were hideous. Now, I seriously think they will be my next watch. My girlfriend the other day was looking at the 5711 and 15202 with me, and she was thoroughly confused. Like legitimately did not understand the appeal. Is it because of over-exposure that I have grown to love these two Genta designs? Is it because I know the provenance? Or is it because they just look so unbelievably good on the wrist?

Great question. I once used to say, with much conviction, that I would never, ever buy a Patek sports watch. I thought the Nautilus looked strange, and was as "un-Patek" as could be, given my perceptions of the brand at the time and the Nautilus's unique history.

Then I saw it on the wrist of Rudi Albers at Wempe - and he had me put it on my wrist. And he sold me that very same watch about a week later.

Welcome and thanks for sharing!

Not going to deny this. And when I first came out of lurking in TWAT one of the first things I said was how the information and discussions here certainly helped shape my own tastes and wants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimo

Love the look of that watch, but I'm confused - isn't that the Orion "Anthrazit"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omega Male

Turning it over would settle the issue since Nomos helpfully puts the model name on the case back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerP

plk7 - that's a very handsome Nomos - thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~ B ~

Think about new brands like Lange or Moser. They are both brands that have been brought back to life by businessmen and sustained by conglomerates, with little relation to their pre-war past apart from having a descendant of the founder on the Board. Would they be regarded any less were they to have a completely new name, with no history. After all, what distinguishes Lange and Moser is their quality above all, and innovation.

Good point. Regrettably, I think that for many, Lange and Moser would hold little appeal absent the (somewhat tenuous) historical link between past and present product - even though the present products very much stand on their own merits.

Thanks everyone for the welcome, and for the kind words. I'd like to answer Mimo's question. My watch is reference 506, which has been discontinued. The "other" Tangente Sport has a light-colored dial with numerals, and lume on the hands and dial. While my watch looks very much like the Orion anthrazit (almost identical dial), it's not. The giveaway, from photos, are the angled Tangente lugs, as opposed to the long, curving lugs of Orion models. Other less obvious differences: that particular Orion is 35mm with 30m wr, while my Tangente Sport is 36.5mm with 100m wr. Omega Male is correct about the model name being on the case back. I will take a photo and post it sometime. The Tangente Sport comes with standard with a solid case back, but I opted for a display back. It will likely be my only mechanical watch for life (purchased to celebrate a milestone). I chose it for its versatility - I think it can be worn with dressy clothing or more casually (with "nice" wr). I'm a great admirer of Seiko (a true manufacture - and would love a Grand Seiko), but I like that the Nomos is off the beaten path, and I've been quite pleased with it.

After being on this thread specifically I've come to appreciate the "Genta" styled watches a little more, specifically the RO

Same for Rolex in general. I wouldn't say I've done a 180, but the pointer is definitely moving.. maybe 90 degree-ish?

R

I'm not entirely sure about the Nautilus - at first glance I thought it was stunning, but now something about it is bothering me and I'll have to play with it in person to know!

But back to the point, I'm also definitely affected by how this discussion has framed certain watches: I guess I'm a rarity in that I posted in this thread a year ago with only the most superficial knowledge and interest, and that this has been my primary source of information and inspiration ever since. I'm sure it therefore has a disproportionate influence on me. I don't belong to any other forums, and aside from occasionally reading reviews elsewhere when I want to know about a watch, this is really it.

The RO is definitely a good example for me. I didn't like it much when I first saw it, then gradually found it more appealing the more I saw it - specifically I think I took notice more after Dino's evangelical illustration of fine workmanship, etc. And after handling a few, I now like it very much indeed. As I mentioned during my "tyre-kicking" frenzy, my beloved has had a similar journey by proxy: it didn't appeal much to her when I showed it to her - in general she doesn't like the sporty look as much - but this month, the RO started appearing in diamond-decorated form on her Pinterest page. I think I'm in trouble. And it's all thanks to you TWATs.....;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by plk7

Thanks everyone for the welcome, and for the kind words. I'd like to answer Mimo's question. My watch is reference 506, which has been discontinued. The "other" Tangente Sport has a light-colored dial with numerals, and lume on the hands and dial. While my watch looks very much like the Orion anthrazit (almost identical dial), it's not. The giveaway, from photos, are the angled Tangente lugs, as opposed to the long, curving lugs of Orion models. Other less obvious differences: that particular Orion is 35mm with 30m wr, while my Tangente Sport is 36.5mm with 100m wr. Omega Male is correct about the model name being on the case back. I will take a photo and post it sometime. The Tangente Sport comes with standard with a solid case back, but I opted for a display back. It will likely be my only mechanical watch for life (purchased to celebrate a milestone). I chose it for its versatility - I think it can be worn with dressy clothing or more casually (with "nice" wr). I'm a great admirer of Seiko (a true manufacture - and would love a Grand Seiko), but I like that the Nomos is off the beaten path, and I've been quite pleased with it.

It's lovely - thanks for the explanation. I never liked the mix of sticks and Arabic numbers on the Tangente, and conversely like the Orion and the Zurich a lot. That's an interesting size, too: one thing that strikes me is how long the lugs are, making it stand up pretty big for a 36.5mm watch. How big (or small!) is your wrist, if you don't mind my asking? Mine's about 7" and I wear a 35mm watch regularly, but was looking at something with more presence. I figured the larger, 38mm Orion might be good, but if the lugs are really so long maybe the 35mm is fine, especially with that very flat, cylindrical case. I'd be interesting on your views, especially if you've handled the Orion in person too. Also, I guess the Zurich might wear very big.